Skip to main content
Church Member Software

Free Church GDPR Consent Form Template

One form for the things that need people’s agreement: email news, text messages, the church directory and photos. Each has its own box, left unticked, as the ICO’s rules on consent require.

  • Free
  • No sign-up
  • Word and PDF
  • Updated 19 October 2026

A starting point, not legal advice. Check it matches how your church works, and ask your denomination or an adviser if you’re unsure.

1. Add your church’s details

Optional. What you type goes straight into the document. It stays on your computer and isn’t sent to us.

Where people can write to change their mind.

2. Download or print

Download Word file

The Word file opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages and LibreOffice. Or download the blank PDF.

Preview

Keeping in Touch

[Church name]

Please tick each box you’re happy with. You don’t have to tick any, and you can change your mind at any time by emailing [email address] or telling us at church.

Your details

Name
Email
Phone
If you’re choosing for a child, their name

News and invitations

Email me news, appeals and invitations to events.

Send me text messages about news and events.

Whatever you choose, we’ll still contact you about things you’re involved in, such as rotas, groups and changes to service times.

Our church directory

Our directory is only shared with [members of our church]. To be included, tick what we can list with your name:

My phone number

My email address

My home address

Photos and videos

We sometimes take photos and videos at services and events. Tick where you’re happy for ones that include you to appear:

In [our newsletter and on our noticeboards]

On [our website and social media]

Signed
Date

We keep a record of your choices. Our privacy notice explains how we use your information: [where to find it].

What needs consent, and what doesn’t

Your church doesn’t need consent for everything. Keeping members’ details and sending them rota reminders or service changes are part of running church life. Those messages aren’t marketing, so they don’t need a tick box.

You do normally need agreement for:

  • emails or texts with news, appeals or invitations, which the ICO treats as marketing
  • putting people’s details in a directory others can see
  • using photos where people can be recognised, especially online

Since February 2026, charities can email some supporters without consent, under the charity soft opt-in. Our email consent guide explains when it applies.

What makes consent valid

  • Every box starts unticked. A pre-ticked box isn’t consent.
  • Each choice has its own box, so people can agree to one thing and not another.
  • The form names your church and says what each choice is for.
  • People can change their mind as easily as they agreed.
  • You keep a record of who agreed, when and to what wording.

The template follows all of these, from the ICO’s guidance on valid consent.

Photos of children

For young children, ask a parent or carer. Older children may understand enough to decide for themselves, and it’s good practice to ask them as well. Follow your denomination’s safeguarding guidance on photos, such as not naming children in pictures you share.

How to use it

  1. Add your church’s details above.
  2. Change the highlighted words to match how you share photos and the directory.
  3. Delete any section you don’t need, such as text messages.
  4. Hand it out with welcome packs, or at the start of the year for groups.
  5. Record each person’s choices, and keep the form as your evidence.

When someone changes their mind

Update their record straight away, and stop relying on their consent from then on. Take down photos of them online. You can’t recall printed newsletters that have already gone out, but don’t use those photos again.

Questions churches ask

Do we need consent to keep church members’ details?
Usually not. Churches can normally keep members’ details to run church life without consent. You need consent for things like email news, photos online and a directory others can see.
Does consent run out?
It doesn’t expire automatically, but the ICO says it can go stale. Ask again if you start using information in a new way, and review it every few years.
Can we use one tick box for everything?
No. The ICO says consent should be separate for different purposes, so people can agree to some things and not others.
Do we need consent for photos at a service?
It depends on how you use them. A crowd shot from the back is different from a close-up on social media. Asking is the safest approach, and put up a notice when you’re photographing an event.

Read next

Sources

This template follows official guidance. It isn’t legal or tax advice, so check anything you’re unsure about with HMRC, the ICO or an adviser.

Record every choice, and stick to it

Church Member Software keeps a record of each person’s email choices, with the date and wording. News only goes to people who’ve agreed, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

Start your free trialSee prices